Foster, Grant boost return game

Saturday

Jul 27, 2013 at 9:53 PM

Don Williams

Jakeem Grant returned six kickoffs last year. Sadale Foster didn't run back a single punt.

That's OK. Texas Tech likes the looks of both. After all, Grant returned two of those six kickoffs for touchdowns, and Foster was a first-team all-conference return man two years ago at his previous school.

They're two of the first options for a special-teams unit looking to replace a few return men.

Tech has the framework in place for solid special teams going into this season, which gets under way with the start of practice next weekend. Punter Ryan Erxleben enters his fourth year as a starter sporting a 41.4-yard career average, kicker Ryan Bustin tied a school record with 17 field goals last season and coverage teams recovered three Kramer Fyfe kickoffs.

Grant left Tech fans eager to see more at the end of last season when he returned kickoffs for touchdowns in the regular-season finale against Baylor and the bowl victory against Minnesota.

That alone gives Grant a good shot to start the year as a focal point of the kickoff-return team. Foster averaged 21.8 yards on a team-high 18 runbacks, and the next busiest kickoff-return men, Eric Stephens and Javon Bell, are gone.

So is Austin Zouzalik, a receiver who returned 47 punts as the Red Raiders' regular punt-return specialist for four years. During spring practice, Foster got first crack at being Zouzalik's successor.

"And he was consistent," Haverty said. "To me, I want to get the ball to the offense. I know everybody wants the wiggle guy, but most important is let's get it caught and then anything you get after that is gravy.

"Playing here with (Wes) Welker, I think Welker might have dropped one punt in four years. We try to find a guy like that."

Foster has a solid track record, having been first-team all-Southern California Football Association in 2011 after he averaged 13.4 yards as a punt-return man for Riverside (Calif.) City College.

Though Foster and Grant are the two leading candidates to be return men, Haverty plans to use upcoming August workouts to audition more options. He mentioned several young players - defensive backs Keenon Ward and Dee Paul, receivers D.J. Polite-Bray and Carlos Thompson and running back Quinton White - as possibilities.

Wide receiver Bradley Marquez also was a kickoff-return man two years ago.

"We're going to have a lot of competition in two-a-days," Haverty said.

Bustin emerged last year as a walk-on transfer, converting 17 of 24 field-goal attempts and tying Blade Adams, Ricky Gann and Lin Elliott for the Tech single-season record.

Then he stirred some concern by missing three short kicks in the spring game.

"We're not too worried about that," Kingsbury said. "We've got to improve our operation and make those kicks, but we feel good about what he gives us as far as kicking goes."

"I don't know what happened in the spring game," Haverty said. "... He did good in the spring. Obviously, it didn't end the way he wanted, but he had a solid spring."

Punter is one of the most solid positions on the team. Erxleben has been a reuglar for three years - posting averages of 40.8, 41.7 and 41.8, respectively. Of his 139 career punts, he's put 44 inside the 20 and fair catches on 42.

"Erxleben's a guy who's consistent. He's here a long time," Kingsbury said. "So we think we're pretty solid at those two positions (kicker and punter)."

The Red Raiders showed last year that field goals weren't the only way their kickers could be weapons. Tech recovered three kickoffs classified as onside, tied for eighth in the nation. Two of the three were mid-range popups that confused opponents let hit the ground, touching off a scramble for a loose ball.

Kramer Fyfe showed a knack for such "sky" kicks, and they might remain in the special-teams playbook. Though Tech had a staff changeover with the departure of Tommy Tuberville, graduate assistant Kevin Oliver - who worked with special teams, including Fyfe and the kickoff plan - remains.

"I think you'll see a little of everything, depending on the scenario," Haverty said. "If the wind's blowing really good here, some teams might not be used to it. It might be a good idea to put it up there and see if they can catch it."